With the Black Death raging throughout Switzerland, poison was reported to have been found in the wells at Zofingen. Some Jews were put to the "Dümeln" (thumbscrews) test, whereupon they "admitted" their guilt of the charges brought against them. This discovery was then communicated to the people of Basel, Zurich, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, and even Cologne.
The Jews of Basel were burned on an island in the Rhine on January 9, 1349, in wooden huts that were especially built for the occasion. Their children, who were spared, were taken and forcibly baptized.
On his way back from participating in a brit milah ceremony in Bohuslav (in what is now Ukraine), R. Aryeh Leib, known as the “Grandfather of Shpoli” was crossing over the frozen Ros River when the ice suddenly broke beneath his feet. Miraculously he was saved, and to this day his descendants mark this date with a joyous feast (Ish Hapelleh, pp. 299–301).
Daniel Pearl, an American-born Jewish reporter for The Wall Street Journal was kidnapped by terrorists in Karachi by a militant group calling itself the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, which claimed that Pearl was a spy.
Nine days later, on Shevat 19 (Feb 1), Pearl was beheaded on videotape. The gruesome tape has Pearl stating that, “… My father's Jewish, my mother's Jewish, I'm Jewish. …”
There are those who say that before we do any mitzvah, we must first understand why it needs to be done. Why else were we given a mind?
There are others who say we must just obey with simple faith. How else can we bond with One who is entirely beyond our understanding?
Abraham did both. He began with absolute faith, even when it was impossible to make sense of what he had been told to do. Yet he would not leave until his questions were answered and he had been given a way to understand.
“Don’t do a thing to the young man, for now I know that you are a G‑d fearing person.” (Genesis 22:12)
Abraham said to G‑d, “Let me present my case. First You told me that my descendants will be from Isaac. Then You told me to take him for an offering. Now You say I mustn’t do a thing to him…” (Rashi, citing Midrash)
That makes sense. Matters that are beyond our understanding can never be fit neatly into human reason. But neither can they be left in conflict.
Because if what you believe is true, it must be true everywhere. Even within your own limited human mind.